Manga Editors - The Reason I Quit My Job as a Manga Editor Part I

By gum

Created 2006-12-26 03:07

TokoToko Editor's Misc. Note[1], a blog run by a female manga editor who has been in the business for over 15 years, has posted a multi-part article titled "The Reason I Quit My Job as a Manga Editor." Below is a translation of part one[2] of the article:

The Reason I Quit My Job as a Manga Editor Part I

The short answer - I can't communicate well with others. That's all.

The long story - I knew manga to some extent and liked it, so I wanted to be a manga editor since I thought I could handle it. Besides, I didn't want to edit anything else other than manga. I switched from my old publishing company to a new one and was employed there as a manga editor - my dream job.

About three months after my employment, I received the address of a manga artist who at the time created manga for another company. I was to meet the artist as the first representative from my company.

During our first meeting, thanks to the fact that we're almost the same age, we spent a long time talking about books we read when we were XX years old, and we formed a very friendly relationship. Soon we began talking about business. I said that I would accept a series that had been published by another publisher and was left unfinished due to the suspension of its publication.

About two months after that, the manga artist and I decided to begin the new serialization, and I received the drafts from him. When I looked at the story, it was pretty bad, but the manga artist thought it was great. The story contained his "inner world and feelings," but to my regret, it didn't fit the theme of the magazine it was supposed to be serialized in.

I wondered if I should ask him to redraw the manga, since that kind of work couldn't be published in my magazine at the time. However, the act of denying an artist's preference and going against his personality might make him think that I don't want his manga. No, the action wouldn't be my objecting his career and way of thinking; it only meant that his story should agree with the readers of the magazine.

If I had communicated with my colleagues better, I could have persuaded them to run the manga anyway with the artist adding a few touches to it. If I remember correctly, at the time, I showed our department's most reliable senior the rough draft, and he concluded that it wasn't fit for the magazine. I agreed with him and withdrew, partly due to his opinion, and partly because I was then a newcomer.

As a result, I was charged with the unfortunate task of asking the artist to redraw the manga in a way so as to agree with the magazine's theme (the details are confidential), and ended up with the choice of either "to persuade him" or "to run away." The manga artist, who has had much more experience than me, accepted my proposal and turned in works that were very close to what I asked.

Was it a good ending? It was a good ending, but also a wrong ending.

I like manga more than any other entertainment I have experienced. However, just because I like manga and want to be a manga editor doesn't mean I can manage a manga artist. I run away from the real world to avoid standing face-to-face with others, and in the manga world I find comfort - forgetting the bitter truth for even just a moment, and receiving encouragements from manga characters.

My motivation for becoming a manga editor was that "I want to be in a position to create such stories or to help." Not until I became a manga editor did it made me realize how I didn't want to communicate face-to-face with others. I can fight with people I don't like, but I can't stand giving negative remarks and requests to people I cared for. It was much more stressful than I expected, it was the job of denying the career and the imagination of others.

Even though I asked artists to make corrections to their work, it didn't mean they don't like me any more…maybe (In the case of a new artist, sometimes we can't communicate well with each other). Though manga has always been my hobby and pastime, it became a business, and I made money as a manga editor. In the case of my previous job, I asked the writers in a business-like way to correct a caption or to rewrite a lead role in the story, because I didn't have any feelings for the genre, which allowed me to look at work objectively. "What one likes" does not necessarily corresponds to "what one can do," it was what I felt six months after I changed my job, right after I turned 27.

Sad story...

What has been said in the interview/article is very true, but how many people has the necessary insight to ask themselves this question, "I like this, but do I want to do this for a living".

I hope that people will be better at questioning themselves when they face similar situations, only then can we truly walk down a path of no regrets :)

Grass is not always green

Submitted by N_ (not verified) on Thu, 2007-01-04 20:57.

Yeah, sometimes a job may seem nice, but when actually doing it, you realize how much effort is needed to complete the job. I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way as the manga editor in the article, but it's not often you see them coming out and talk about it.

On another note, I wonder which publisher this editor worked for...hmm...

She works

Submitted by F/X (not verified) on Thu, 2007-01-04 21:35.

She works for the Shinshokan Publish, in the WINGS shojo magazine, and edited the manga Flower of Life....

How did you know that? Did

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2007-03-13 15:29.

How did you know that? Did she state this on her blog?

I am TokoToko Editor

Submitted by eggmoon (not verified) on Sun, 2007-06-17 03:23.

I have not worked for Shinshokan Publish.
I am sorry, being able to talk about the career is only this.

Interesting

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2007-06-20 05:56.

I agree with TokoToko Editor but also feel you must do what you love to be successful in business. I personally don't like facing others face to face and escape reality with manga but I also enjoy trying to translate it and edit it. I also love cosmetology as well and for a while wanted to go to school for it but realised it's not what I want to do (I don't like touching people I don't know and it's not something I want to do for years). I would actually like a career in editing manga and feel comfortable with it. I guess it depends on your talents, skills, and personality. But doing something you love usually will show in your work and that will help you become successful.

Do What You Feel

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2007-08-22 03:43.

I am also wondering the same thing about what i want to do. It is hard but maybe if you love it enough you can fight through those parts. I hope TokoToko doesn't give up in finding what she truly wants inside :)
(well i'm not a professional or anything tee hee)

would it be better to kjnoiw japanese to publish a managa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2008-03-04 19:10.

do you think it would be easier to publish a manga if i could read and write in Japanese? because i'm learning now for enjoyment, but if this could help later on that would be great, since your a manga editor you would be able to answer that right?

I do know how it feels when

Submitted by TheDee (not verified) on Sat, 2009-03-28 02:28.

I do know how it feels when you are so excited about a new job at first, but then it turns out to be less exciting/enjoyable than you thought.
Your passion for what you are doing is the key of success regardless of anything else.

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